


Friday Night

by cosmic_llin



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Early in Canon, Gen, Podfic Available, USS Minerva
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 03:44:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/819575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First Friday night on a new ship - the possibilities are endless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friday Night

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my fantasy cast [here](http://cosmic-llin.tumblr.com/post/38171091636/fantasy-casting-a-new-star-trek-series-set-some).

It wasn't really Friday night, not exactly, since they weren’t on Earth. But the Minerva was on Earth time and, as far as her official calendar was concerned, this was the very first Friday night since her launch. And although Jeris Dwyna had grown up on a planet that didn't have Fridays as such, everyone who had been through Starfleet Academy knew what Friday night meant.

At the Academy itself, Friday night was fancy dress parties at the campus watering holes, a date with someone from your exobiology class, trying to find a nice, not-too-crowded bar within transporter range that served the right drinks for every species in your friendship group. On Dwyna's first command, Friday night had been poker night. Other ships she'd known, Friday night had been variously music night, movie night and non-replicated potluck night.

It remained to be seen what Friday night would be on the Minerva. It was the largest ship Dwyna had ever served on, and it didn't seem likely that a single activity could unite most of the crew, like potlucks had on the Gwalchmai. A week into their shakedown milk run, Dwyna was sure she'd never be able to learn the names of even a tenth of the crew, much less get to know them all. But the first Friday night on a new ship seemed like a good time to make a start.

It pleased her to note that the recreation and community schedule was already beginning to fill up. The school had already reserved one of the holodecks for a Parent-Teacher getting-to-know-you barbecue. One of the waiters in Ten Forward was giving dance classes in his spare time. The other main holodeck was full too - a Parrises Squares tournament. Never really Dwyna's thing, but it tended to be popular. She headed there first.

The stands were almost full when she arrived. A crewman she vaguely recognised from the Stellar Cartography briefing yesterday hastened to offer her a seat, but she waved him back down and scooched down the row to the empty section at the end. A holographic vendor came past with a tray of snacks, and she took a packet of sand peas.

The game started up, but Dwyna was more interested in the crowd. There were Ensigns Peel and Jalal, in the danger seats in the front row. They were laughing at something, leaning against each other with that easy, instant familiarity you often got with junior officers. They were by far the youngest members of the alpha shift bridge crew, it only made sense they’d stick together. She watched Ensign Peel throw a sand pea in the air and catch it in his mouth, and remembered being introduced to him a week ago. He’d been bright-eyed like a puppy, and it had been all she could do to remember to shake his hand and not ruffle his hair. Ensign Jalal, now, she was different. She was all business on the bridge, and an excellent pilot, but there was something brittle about her, like she wanted to prove something to you but she didn’t quite expect you to believe it.

No sign of that now, though. She snorted at Peel and tipped her head back, balancing not one but three sand peas on her nose and then flipping her head up to send them flying into the air, catching each one in her mouth in quick succession and grinning at Peel who whistled in admiration.

‘So that’s what they’re teaching them at the Academy these days,’ a voice said beside her.

It was Commander Miller, presumably just coming off her bridge shift.

‘We’re doomed,’ said Dwyna dryly.

‘I don’t know,’ said Miller, ‘if her accuracy when she’s piloting is anything like as good as that, I’d say we’re in safe hands. Who are you rooting for?’

‘Oh...’ said Dwyna. ‘I don’t really know, I just thought I’d come and take a look...’

‘Ah,’ said Miller, and without preamble she launched into a detailed run-down of the teams (apparently there were already four teams on the ship - how had that happened so fast?) and their relative merits, and then when Dwyna looked confused she added a quick overview of tactics, which turned into a running commentary.

It was the most Dwyna had heard Miller say all week. She’d pegged her for a woman of few words, but of course she’d forgotten that Starfleet brats were almost always avid Parrises Squares fanatics. She listened for a while, and then Miller fell silent to give her full attention to the match.

Dwyna tried to watch, but it was a little on the violent side. Give her springball any day. At the next break she excused herself.

The recreation deck was teeming. She bumped into Lieutenant Poul on his way back from a dance class, brightly-dressed and sweating, and he gave her a broad smile which she returned. In the next corridor six children were squashed together behind a large Arfillian ficus. She opened her mouth to ask them what they were doing, but the closest pressed an urgent finger to her lips, and just then Dwyna spotted the seventh child at the other end of the corridor, clearly looking for them.

Dwyna shifted subtly to hide the children from view, and pretended to be checking something on a wall display.

‘Uh... good evening, Captain,’ the boy said as he passed.

‘Good evening,’ she said. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Erak,’ he said. ‘Erak Loy. My aunt is Lieutenant Loy, in Engineering.’

‘Nice to meet you, Erak Loy,’ said Dwyna.

He nodded. ‘Um... you haven’t seen any kids hiding around here, have you?’ he asked.

‘I’m afraid not,’ she said. ‘Good luck, though.’

He sighed and moved on. Muffled giggles erupted behind her.

One of the rec rooms was full of people playing some sort of board games. Another had been commandeered as a music room. She stayed and listened for a few minutes, and subjected a slightly stunned human percussionist to an enthusiastic lecture about the versatility of the Bajoran casaba.

When she left, Lieutenant Trulli was just exiting the room next door, with a large crowd of people. They were from all departments, and nothing immediately suggested what activity they’d been taking part in.

‘Captain,’ Trulli greeted her.

‘Lieutenant,’ she said. ‘All right, let me guess - quilting circle? Reading group? Amateur dramatic society?’

He smiled at her. ‘Uh... support group, actually.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry...’

‘No, no, it’s fine,’ he reassured her. ‘It’s just a group for people who haven’t brought their children aboard with them.’

‘Oh, of course,’ she said. ‘I remembered reading that in your profile. Two girls?’

‘That’s right. They live with their mothers on Proxima. It’s safer for them there, but I still miss them. It’s good to talk about it.’

She nodded goodbye as he left. She’d thought the number of children was a little small considering the crew complement. Of course it made sense. It wasn’t like it had been before the war, people weren’t so sure any more that the adventure would outweigh the danger - at least not for their children.

She sighed. This evening was certainly giving her a lot to think about. Perhaps her next appointment would help.

It was the perfect room for it. Doctor T’Lathan had managed to secure a hullside rec room with large windows and a view of the stars as they danced by. The room was dim, lit by fat candles.

‘Captain, welcome,’ T’Lathan said. ‘We’re almost ready to begin.’

Dwyna meditated most nights in her quarters, but group meditation was different, it scratched an itch that she couldn’t quite reach any other way. It wasn’t always possible, but when T’Lathan had announced her intention to run Vulcan meditation classes, Dwyna had been the first to sign up.

There were a couple of dozen people there - mostly Vulcans but a scattering of others, including Commander Osuka. She nodded at Dwyna and arranged herself on her mat - legs crossed, back straight, hands on her knees.

T’Lathan started them with some breathing exercises, then moved onto a basic meditation, encouraging them in low, even tones to rise above the turmoil of their thoughts and emotions and reach a quiet, still space. They visualised themselves as pure energy among the stars, away from physical concerns and emotional worries. It was different from Bajoran styles of meditation, but it calmed and centered Dwyna anyway.

‘That was a good session,’ she said to Commander Osuka, after they had finished, thanked T’Lathan and rolled up their mats.

‘Yes, it was,’ Osuka agreed.

‘Do you meditate often?’ Dwyna asked.

‘At least twice daily,’ said Osuka. ‘Living among non-Betazoids, it’s essential mental health maintenance. Computer, time?’

‘The time is twenty-two hundred hours,’ the computer announced.

‘I’d better get going,’ Osuka said. ‘I promised I’d call my husband before my date with Zebi.’

‘You and Lieutenant Poul?’ Dwyna asked. ‘That was quick work.’

‘It’s just for fun,’ Osuka explained. ‘He asked, and I thought, why not?’

‘Well, have fun!’ Dwyna told her as they parted.

Poul and Osuka. That was going to be an interesting one.

It was still comparatively early, but the meditation had slowed her thoughts and she felt ready for sleep already. As Fridays went, it had been enlightening. She could already see the beginnings of the pattern, the web of relationships that would grow with every day onboard.

‘I think I’m going to like it here,’ she said aloud.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] Friday Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1130638) by [silly_cleo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silly_cleo/pseuds/silly_cleo)




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